POLITICS

Al Gore Calls for End of Electoral College

By National Journal Staff

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Former Vice President and Democrat presidential candidate Al Gore.(DANNY MOLOSHOK/AP)

Many Americans are disenfranchised and some states are ignored because of the Electoral College, and it's time to abandon it, former Vice President Al Gore said on Thursday night as part of Current TV's coverage of the Republican National Convention.

"I really do now think it's time to change that. It's always tough to amend the Constitution and risky to do so, but there is a very interesting movement under way that takes it state by state, that may really have a chance of succeeding. I hope it does," Gore said.

Asked to describe the movement, Gore was vague, saying it "started in California and it's gained a lot of momentum."

Gore, who lost the 2000 election to Republican George W. Bush but won the popular vote, said he supported the Electoral College at the time but has since changed his mind.

"I supported the idea of the Electoral College because the logic is, it knits the country together, prevents regional conflicts, and it goes back through our history with some legitimate concerns," he said. "But since, I've given a lot of thought to it and I've seen how these states are just written off."